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Qinghai

[ching-hahy]

) |tib=མཚོ་སྔོན་ |wylie=mtsho sngon |mon=Köke Naγur |mnc=Huhu Noor }} (青海, qīnghǎi) is a province of the People's Republic of China, named after Qinghai Lake. It borders Gansu on the northeast, the Xinjiang Autonomous Region on the northwest, Sichuan on the southeast, and Tibet Autonomous Region on the southwest.

History

Qinghai was only relatively recently made a province of China. A large part of the area, historically called Kokonor in English until the early 20th century, lies outside of China proper and has been an ethnic melting pot for centuries, mixing Tibetan, Han Chinese, Mongol, and Turkic influences. It was a battleground during the Tang and subsequent Chinese dynasties when they fought against successive Tibetan dynasties.

Prior to 1724, most of the area that is now Qinghai was under Tibetan control, but in that year it was conquered by the armies of the Qing Dynasty. Following the defeat of the Dzungars by the Qing in the mid 18th century, the area became home to peoples from what is now northern Xinjiang known as the Kokonor Mongols (Kokonor derives from the Mongolian language name of Qinghai).

In 1928, Qinghai became a province of the Republic of China. Subsequently it became the primary base for warlord Ma Bufang, before it became a province under the People's Republic of China in 1949.

Geography

Qinghai is located on the northeastern part of the Tibetan Plateau. The Yellow River (Huang He) originates in the middle of the province, while the Yangtze and Mekong have their sources in the southwestern part.

The average elevation of Qinghai is over 3000 meters above sea level. Mountain ranges include the Tanggula Mountains and Kunlun Mountains. Its average temperature is approximately -5 to 8°C, with January temperatures ranging from -18.2 to -7°C and July temperatures ranging from 5 to 21°C. It is also prone to heavy winds as well as sandstorms from February to April.

By area, Qinghai is the largest province in China - excluding the autonomous regions of Xinjiang, Tibet, and Inner Mongolia, which are technically not provinces.

Qinghai Lake (Koko Nor) is the largest lake in the People's Republic of China.

Administrative divisions

Qinghai is administratively divided into one prefecture-level city, one prefecture, and six autonomous prefectures:

Prefecture-level city

Zeling

西宁

Xiníng Shì

Prefecture

Tsoshar

海东

Hǎidōng Diqu

Autonomous prefectures

Golog

果洛藏族自治州

Guǒluò Zàngzú Zìzhìzhōu

Tsoshung

海北藏族自治州

Hǎiběi Zàngzú Zìzhìzhōu

Tsolho

海南藏族自治州

Hǎinán Zàngzú Zìzhìzhōu

Tsonub

海西蒙古族藏族自治州

Hǎixī Měnggǔzú Zàngzú Zìzhìzhōu

Rebgong

黄南藏族自治州

Huángnán Zàngzú Zìzhìzhōu

Yulshu

玉树藏族自治州

Yùshù Zàngzú Zìzhìzhōu

All of these are in turn divided into four districts, two county-level cities, thirty counties, and seven autonomous counties.

Politics

Secretaries of the CPC Qinghai Committee
Order	Romanji	Hanzi	Governance period
1	Zhang Zhongliang	张仲良	1949-1954
2	Zhao Shoushan	赵寿山	1952
3	Gao Feng	高峰	1954-1961
4	Wang Zhao	王昭	1961-1962
5	Yang Zhilin	杨植霖	1962-1966
6	Liu Xianquan	刘贤权	1967-1977
7	Tan Qilong	谭启龙	1977-1979
8	Liang Buting	梁步庭	1979-1982
9	Zhao Haifeng	赵海峰	1982-1985
10	Yin Kesheng	尹克升	1985-1997
11	Tian Chengping	田成平	1997-1999
12	Bai Enpei	白恩培	1999-2001
13	Su Rong	苏荣	2001-2003
14	Zhao Leji	赵乐际	2003-2007
15	Qiang Wei	强卫	2007-incumbent

Governors of Qinghai
Order	Romanji	Hanzi	Governance period
1	Zhao Shoushan	赵寿山	1950-1952
2	Zhang Zhongliang	张仲良	1952-1954
3	Sun Zuobin	孙作宾	1954-1958
4	Sun Junyi	孙君一	1958
5	Yuan Renyuan	袁任远	1958-1962
6	Wang Zhao	王昭	1962-1967
7	Liu Xianquan	刘贤权	1967-1977
8	Tan Qilong	谭启龙	1977-1979
9	Zhang Guosheng	张国声	1979-1982
10	Huang Jingbo	黄静波	1982-1985
11	Song Ruixiang	宋瑞祥	1985-1989
12	Jin Jipeng	金基鹏	1989-1992
13	Tian Chengping	田成平	1992-1997
14	Bai Enpei	白恩培	1997-1999
15	Zhao Leji	赵乐际	1999-2003
16	Yang Chuantang	杨传堂	2003-2004
17	Song Xiuyan	宋秀岩	2004-incumbent

Economy

Qinghai's economy is amongst the smallest in all of China. Its nominal GDP for 2007 was just 76.1 billion RMB (US$10 billion) and contributes to a little over 0.3% of the entire country's economy. Per capita GDP was 13,836 RMB (US$1,820).

Its heavy industry includes iron and steel productions, located near its capital city of Xining. Oil and natural gas from the Chaidamu Basin have also been an important contributor to the economy.

Demographics

The population of Qinghai is approximately 5.2 million, among which the Han account for 54.5%. Other groups include the Tibetans 20.87%, Tu, Hui, Salar, and Mongols.

Culture

Qinghai's culture is heavily influenced by China proper and Tibet, given the close proximities as well as a shared history.

Transportation

The Lanqing Railway, running between Lanzhou, Gansu and Xining, the province's capital, was completed in 1959 and is the major transportation route in and out of the province. A continuation of the line, the Qinghai-Tibet Railway through Golmud, has become one of the most ambitious projects in PRC history. It was completed in October 2005 and now links Tibet with the rest of China through Qinghai.

Six National Highways run through the province. Xining Caojiabu Airport provides service to Beijing, Lanzhou, Golmud and Delingha.

Telecommunications

Since the Ministry of Information Industry began its "Access to Telephones Project", Qinghai has invested 640 million yuan to provide telephone access to 3860 out its 4133 administrative villages. At the end of 2006, 299 towns had received Internet access. However, 6.6 percent of villages in the region still have no access to the telephone. These villages are mainly scattered in Qingnan Area, with 90 percent of them located in Yushu and Guoluo. The average altitude of these areas exceeds 3600 meters, and the poor natural conditions hamper the establishment of telecommunication facilities in the region.

Satellite phones have been provided to 186 remote villages in Qinghai Province on September 14, 2007. The areas benefited were Yushu Zang Autonomous Prefecture and Guoluo Zang Autonomous Prefecture. Qinghai has recently been provided with satellite telephone access. In June 2007, China Satcom carried out an in-depth survey in Yushu and Guoluo, and made a special satellite phones for these areas. Two phones were provided to each village for free, and calls were charged at the rate of 0.2 yuan per minute for both local and national calls, with the extra charges assumed by China Satcom. No monthly rent was charged on the satellite phone. International calls were also available.

Tourism

Many tourist attractions center on Xining, the provincial seat of Qinghai.

The city itself has such notable stops, including the Great Mosque of Xining (清真大寺, qīngzhēn dà sì) and North Mountain Temple (北山寺, běishān sì).

Outside Xining lie two notable attractions:

The Kumbum Monastery (Tibetan: sKu 'bum dKon pa)(塔尔寺, tǎ'ěr sì), one of the most important Yellow Hat Sect monasteries, lies 30 km outside Xining. It also features the Hall of Yak Butter Sculptures.

Qinghai Lake (青海湖, qīnghǎi hú) is another tourist attraction, albeit further from Xining than Kumbum. The lake is the largest saltwater lake in China, and is also located on the "Roof of the World," the Qinghai-Tibet plateau. The lake itself lies at 3,600m elevation. The surrounding area is made up of rolling grasslands and populated by ethnic Tibetans. Most pre-arranged tours stop at Bird Island (鸟岛, niǎo dǎo). An international bicycle race takes place annually from Xining to Qinghai Lake.